News

NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller stressed the importance of Alliance unity in a keynote address to the 64th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Halifax, Canada on Monday (19 November 2018). Noting that unity among allies has underpinned Euro-Atlantic security for almost seventy years, she thanked parliamentarians for their support for NATO. She said: “There is nothing stronger than this Alliance when it is united, and when our publics are behind it. In that, your support is essential.”

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis to NATO Headquarters on Monday (19 November 2018). The two leaders met to discuss NATO’s continuing adaptation to the security situation in Europe. The Secretary General praised Lithuania’s contributions to NATO missions, commitment to defence spending and expertise on energy security. He also thanked Lithuania for hosting exercise Iron Wolf 2018, bringing together thirteen Allies and providing training for one of four NATO battlegroups in the region.

Around 1,800 troops from NATO Allies Bulgaria, Canada, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain are taking part in the Romania-led exercise SCORPIONS FURY 18 from 5 to 16 November.

ANAKONDA 2018, a Polish-led multinational exercise, which began on 7 November, today completed its first week. The exercise involves around 12,500 troops in Poland and approximately 5,000 troops in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The exercise demonstrated the interoperability of the Polish Armed Forces with participating troops from 10 NATO Allies: Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Turkey and United States.

Three technologies on detection and clearance of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), namely a semi-autonomous robot for detection of mines and IEDs, a lightweight and easy-to-use mine detector and a handheld detector for dirty bombs, were successfully tested in Florence, Italy on 17 and 18 October 2018. These technologies are developed in the framework of NATO’s Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme.

In a speech hosted by the German Atlantic Society and the Federal Academy for Security Policy in Berlin on Monday (12 November 2018), NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg underscored the importance of the transatlantic bond at a time of unprecedented security challenges. In particular, Mr Stoltenberg warned that the deployment of new Russian SSC-8 missiles puts the historic INF treaty at jeopardy, calling on Russia to ensure full compliance with the treaty.

NATO does not recognise the reported elections held on 11 November in the self-proclaimed and unrecognised “Luhansk People’s Republic” and “Donetsk People’s Republic.” They run contrary to the letter and spirit of the Minsk Agreements and undermine efforts towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is taking part in a ceremony of remembrance in Paris on Sunday (11 November 2018) for the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. Mr. Stoltenberg joined other world leaders at the Arc de Triomphe to mark the exact moment that the guns fell silent, ending four terrible years of conflict. Speaking after the ceremony, Mr. Stoltenberg said, "today, we stand together in remembrance of all the lives lost in World War One, and we pay tribute to all those who serve. Let us never take peace and freedom for granted."

The annual Building Integrity (BI) Discipline Conference took place at NATO Defense College on 10 and 11 October, 2018 in Rome, Italy. Experts on BI, including representatives from NATO Headquarters and Commands, as well as academics and practitioners from member and partner countries discussed the role of BI in defence, security and education.

On 11 October, 2018, the Centre for Integrity in the Defence Sector (CIDS) hosted a conference entitled, “Why building integrity, institution building and anti-corruption belong on the security agenda”. Discussions covered the wider context of Building Integrity (BI).